Cracking the Code on Zombie Cicadas

Linnean Society of London

The dual emergence of 13-year & 17-year cicadas in 2024 provided a once in 200 years  chance to  understand this enigmatic zombifying fungus

Please do consider a donation. Even the smallest donation goes a long way in helping us deliver our nature outreach work.The fungal genus Massospora (Zoopagomycota: Entomophthorales) was formally established by Peck in 1879 with the description of M. cicadina from a 17-year cicada (Magicicada septendecim) collected in New York in 1877. Prior to studies by Richard Soper beginning in the 1960s, little was known about the biology and diversity of these obligate cicada specialists. Since 2016, DNA-based studies and metabolomics-based approaches of M. cicadina have not only uncovered the first evidence of amphetamine production in Kingdom Fungi but also the largest fungal genome to date at 1.488 Gbp. Despite these advances, a proliferation of transposable elements, an obligate lifestyle, and under-sampling of 13-year periodical cicadas have stymied our understanding of this enigmatic zombifying fungus. The dual emergence of 13-year and 17-year cicadas in the summer of 2024 provided a once in two centuries opportunity to exhaustively sample both broods and gather essential specimens for metatranscriptomics, population genetics, and confirmation metabolomics.<a href="https://www.davis.wvu.edu/faculty-staff/directory/matthew-kasson" title="https://www.davis.wvu.edu/faculty-staff/directory/matthew-kasson" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Dr. Matt Kasson</a> is an Associate Professor Mycology and Forest Pathology at West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. His lab’s research focuses on fungal diseases of trees and woody plants, fungus-arthropod interactions, and fungal biological control of invasive plants, pests, and pathogens while teaching courses in general plant pathology, general microbiology, and forest pest management.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------This is an online event - the Zoom link will be sent two hours prior to the event start.If you'd like to stay updated about our events programme, and other news,<a href="https://linnean.us14.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=2783644d4aace7ae0b6516fe5&amp;id=965126d9ab" title="https://linnean.us14.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=2783644d4aace7ae0b6516fe5&amp;id=965126d9ab" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer"> please subscribe to our monthly newsletter here.</a><a href="https://ca1-tls.edcdn.com/Events-Terms-and-Conditions.pdf" title="https://ca1-tls.edcdn.com/Events-Terms-and-Conditions.pdf" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Terms and Conditions.</a>

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Cracking the Code on Zombie Cicadas

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